10 things to know about Stars center Ty Dellandrea, including his milestone moments
Dellandrea had some big moments for Dallas in the playoffs.
Dallas Stars center Ty Dellandrea (10) celebrates his first of two goals in front of the Vegas Golden Knights bench during the third period in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Western Conference Finals in Las Vegas, May 27, 2023. The Stars won, 4-2.(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)
By
SportsDay Staff
Ty Dellandrea arrived in Dallas with a lot of promise, and this year he played a regular role for the Stars. Here are 10 things to know about the forward:
1. The basics
Position: C
Birthday: July 21, 2000
Height: 6-1
Weight: 195 pounds
2. First-round pick
The Stars drafted Dellandrea with the
13th overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft.
Dellandrea was considered a top-level skater whose speed allowed him to separate from defenders. He had 27 goals and 59 points in 67 games in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, and was just 17 years old when the Stars drafted him.
“Whether you go one through whatever, there are expectations, right?” said Dellandrea. “I know there are expectations. There’s no doubt in my mind I’m ready to live up to them.”
The Stars’ choice of Dellandrea caused the cognoscenti to raise its collective eyebrows. The NHL’s Central Scouting had ranked him at No. 25 among North American skaters.
3. Playoff heroics
Dellandrea scored two third-period goals in Game 5 of the 2023 Western Conference finals in less than two minutes
to help Dallas beat Vegas, and extend the series another game.
“I think I’ve been getting chances,” said Dellandrea, who had been hard on himself, according to teammate Jason Robertson. “So to be able to actually put one in the net tonight felt good, and to contribute to that department.”
One? How about two? And simply contribute? That proved to be an understatement.
It was somewhat of a full-circle moment for Dellandrea. The former top pick for the Stars was a healthy scratch in the first two games against Vegas. In the team’s return to the Nevada desert, he played the hero.
22-YEAR-OLD TY DELLANDREA GIVES THE STARS A TWO-GOAL LEAD!
4-2 Dallas with seven (long) minutes left in Game 5
4. Durability
Though Dellandrea played in all 82 games during the 2022-23 season, he was not a sure bet to start the year on the NHL roster. Dellandrea
suffered a broken finger two weeks before the season started but was able to return for the season opener.
5. Learning from linemates
The Stars found a great combination this season when Dellandrea joined a line with Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston.
Benn’s veteran leadership helped both youngsters thrive.
When Dellandrea and Johnston are on the ice, there’s little mistaking who they listen to.
It’s Benn.
“I think he talks enough for all three of us,” Dellandrea said. “Johnny might be on the quieter end, I might be in the middle. I think he’s like the quarterback. He directs what’s happening on the ice just through his voice all over the ice.”
“He’s obviously a huge presence on the ice,” Johnston said. “The other team, they definitely know when he’s on the ice. So I think he’s able to create space for us, and he’s also able to make plays, put the puck in the net. He can do everything.”
Dallas Stars center Ty Dellandrea (10) and Wyatt Johnston (53) celebrate with Jamie Benn (14) after he scores in the second period during an NHL game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at American Airlines Center Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, in Dallas. The goal scored by Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn (14) tied up the game 1-1 in the second period.(Rebecca Slezak / Staff Photographer)
6. Milestone moment shared with Jake Oettinger
Two Stars first-round picks notched important
firsts of their NHL career on Jan. 28, 2021.
On the same night that Jake Oettinger notched his first NHL win in his first career start, Dellandrea scored his first NHL goal in the third period of the Stars’ 7-3 win over Detroit.
Dellandrea tapped in a Miro Heiskanen pass on the power play to give the Stars a 5-3 lead that snowballed into the final four-goal margin. After Dellandrea scored, he leapt into Heiskanen’s arms on the near boards.
“It was a lot of emotion,” Dellandrea said. “Once I saw it going in, I was pretty pumped. It was an unbelievable play by Miro. Emotions took over, and gave him a big hug. Yeah, it was special.”
7. Draft night surprise
Dellandrea did not expect to be taken so early in the draft, to the point where it was evident on his face when his name was called.
The NHL Scouting Bureau listed Dellandrea as the No. 25 skater among draft prospects from North America. Stars general manager Jim Nill said the possibility of adding a defensive-minded center influenced the Stars’ choice.
“It’s hard to find defensive centermen,” Nill said. “‘If you wanted one of them, you had to step up to get him.”
Ty Dellandrea poses after being selected thirteenth overall by the Dallas Stars during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
8. Spent time in Finland
Dellandrea was one of the few players in the organization
playing games via loan to JYP in Finland’s Liiga back in 2020. He stayed in Finland to practice with JYP through the COVID-19 pandemic pause.
Dellandrea played in six games with JYP, scoring twice and assisting on another goal. It was Dellandrea’s first game action as a professional after playing four years in the OHL and appearing in five NHL exhibition games, and it came in a foreign country on a temporary basis, with wider Olympic-sized ice and the responsibility of living on his own for the first time.
“I enjoy learning and seeing different cultures, whether it’s being in Europe or different hockey environments and experiences,” Dellandrea said. “I’ve been enjoying taking it all in and learning a different game. I feel like from the outside, it’s pretty weird.
“You get thrown into a team, you don’t know anybody, everybody speaks Finnish. You know you’re only going to be here for a month or two. But I feel like with hockey players, throw them in a game or a situation and everybody just wants to win hockey games, so it’s pretty easy to get along.”
9. Showed two-way potential
Dallas received criticism for the selection of Dellandrea at the draft. He was seen as a bit off the board, but
there was always reason to be optimistic about the pick. It was always going to be hard to get a full read on Dellandrea given how bad the Flint Firebirds had been during his OHL tenure, but he showed potential with the Texas Stars in 2019, during
one game in particular.
One sequence in the first period showed off everything Dellandrea can bring to the table.
Dellandrea came out of a scrum in the corner with the puck before curling towards the net for a very good chance. The most intriguing aspect of this sequence was what happened
after the chance. Dellandrea then streaked all the way back to his defensive zone, and ultimately almost beat his own defensemen behind the net
while gliding from his own blueline to break up the coming Chicago forecheck.
This is how a modern two-way center had to play. He needed to have speed, acceleration, IQ, and at least some ability to chip in offensively. All indications were Dellandrea could do all of this.
10. Gluten-free living
Dellandrea came to the Stars with a lot of promise. But his story had
another wrinkle to it: celiac disease. The Sportsnet broadcast made mention of it when he was drafted.
There is very little mention of this anywhere else, but according to Sportsnet, Dellandrea began to make life changes to help him deal with celiac disease in October. The Stars were long aware of the condition.
The symptoms are vast, but a big one is fatigue. According to the Sportsnet feed, Dellandrea changed his diet, presumably to one that is gluten-free given the nature of the disease. In the time since he made the change, he had been able to recover better and produce more on the ice.
